Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #1 (1 of 3)

A showcase with @CannibalisticNecro, author of Hymns of Damnation

1 what inspired the idea of your story? 

I was inspired since I wanted to create a story for a daily opener project we did in my English class. We would every once in a while have to present things, so I wanted to write a short story that was appropriate for school but still dark to show off my writing. I wrote this back when I was sixteen. I was inspired by the idea of the dark vs light cliche, and I wanted to hyperbolize it for effect. As I wrote, the story kept changing until it became more about the characters than the plot line of finding the wolf. It was a story of a dark vs light power struggle and what can create such characters.

2 what was something you struggled with for your story ? 

I struggled with making it school appropriate as I'd originally planned! It ended up being too inappropriate for school, though I've mellowed it down, so I only shared my first chapter. My classmates reacted with horror strangely even though the only blood in the first chapter was from my dark representative Skalin peeling at his wrists a bit in anger. This is a struggle I accepted, and I just kept the story on Wattpad. My next struggle will be rewriting the story in my newer writing style. I would like to flesh it out more and detail it better, and I'd like to smoothen some of the ideas. I may have my boyfriend assist me. Haha.

3 what has been the overall response to your story from your readers?

My response has been mixed. I have had few people who've actually completed it. It seems most people feel satisfied at the conclusion, though some say it's a bit hard to get through due to the atmosphere of the story. I have had great responses from many, though, and it's won a few awards. But I do think a rewrite is in order.

 4 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

I really enjoyed writing Skalin. He was such a fun character to get into. He was the hyperbolic evil character, so writing over the top dark themes and dialogue with him was a blast. His past was also fun to write due to his dynamic with his father. The reveal at the last chapter relating to his father was certainly satisfying.

 5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series?

This story is a stand alone. I haven't had many people request more, and I'm unsure if more would be possible. This story is about Skalin and Rollis, and due to the conclusion, I just can't continue it in a satisfying way.

 6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?

I would like all my readers to try and find some kind of moral in my story. I've had a lot of different responses, which really makes me happy as a writer. I find it important that my reader interprets what they read in their own way, so it's great I've had different views.

7 what's a piece of advice you would provide to another writer, when it comes to focusing on their story? 

I would recommend other writers to always take criticism, though sometimes with a grain of salt. If someone mentions any negativity, there may be some truth to it. It's good to balance the good and the bad and try to see your writing as objectively as possible in order to improve. But never give up, even if you get some negativity! Use it for improvement and strive for the day you only receive praise and inspire others!

8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?

My story's main characters are Skalin and Rollis. While Skalin is a bit more of a focus, I firmly think both are equally as important to the story. Rollis is my embodiment of light while Skalin is my dark. I would say I share Rollis' pains in many ways. We are both people who regret our lives often. It's turned up for me recently, but I can relate to him in how we sometimes question the point of existence at times and feel much pressure from our parents. For Skalin, I share how he views dark things with humor at times. I'm not as far as him, but I do see humor in irony as he does. I also relate to him in how he has some unhealthy habits, like picking his wrists till they bleed. I have the bad habit of biting into my lips to suppress emotion and tend not to even notice. They do sometimes bleed and puff up. Overall, I have gotten better than these characters in the time since I've written them, and I think they and the me who wrote them need hugs and to know that their pasts don't matter and they can improve and look to the future and what they can do now. 

 9 what's something you believe would draw in new readers? 

I think readers would be drawn into the fact this story is half poetry. It's half short story and half poem. I decided to make poems after each chapter that reflect the emotions of the previous chapter. They are supposed to be more of short songs, though. Skalin's songs are titled "Hymn", while Rollis' are "Song".

10 do you have any future projects?

I'm currently working on writing a book of short stories surrounding an oddly lucky bounty hunter and his friends as he goes on weird missions and learns more about the nature of himself. I have one short story up right now. These are mature, though. I don't recommend reading unless you're 18+, but I was writing like this since I was sixteen, so if you think you can handle it and have parent permission to read mature things, go for it. It's on my new writing account and the book is called Thrive. The other story on the account @E_A_Hard, Envenomate, is still very in the works and is also mature. That one is going to center around a man with a snake god's blood in his veins, Lyndak, and Phralia, his companion with benefits who escorts for the sake of their missions.